The Best Green Cleaners

You care about the environment, but you also want clean laundry, shiny dishes, and a spotless kitchen. The GHRI's Home Appliances & Cleaning Products department put 23 green cleaners — nine laundry detergents, seven hand dishwashing liquids, and seven all-purpose cleaners — through rigorous tests, and found five winners, all of which get their cleaning power from plant-based ingredients. Try these tips and tricks for eco-friendly living from throughout Good Housekeeping's 125 years

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Feb 1, 2008

Philip Friedman/Studio D

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It Is Easy Cleaning Green
While there are no specific criteria that qualify a product as green, most that make the claim are biodegradable, phosphate and chlorine free, and derive their ingredients from plants like coconut or palm (renewable sources) rather than petrochemicals like crude oil or natural gas (which are not renewable). But even if a product seems green, read the label — and keep it away from kids and pets.

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How We Tested Laundry Detergents
Fifteen common stains (including coffee, ink, and blood) were applied to swatches of cotton (hot wash cycle) and polyester (cold wash cycle), set for 24 hours, and washed. Swatches were compared with the industry standard for stain removal.

Serious stain busters: For overall laundry spot removal, the new green release from Arm & Hammer, Essentials 2X Concentrated ($3.49 for 50 ounces, mylaundrybasket.com), came out on top. It was particularly effective at washing in cold water, with top scores for removing ink, mascara, wine, gravy, and grape juice stains. Purex Natural Elements ($7 for 100 ounces, dialcorp.com) worked almost as well — and at about half the price per load of the Arm & Hammer product.

How We Tested Dishwashing Liquids
A spinach-based "standard soil" mix was applied to dinner and salad plates, and left for one hour. With a measured amount of soap whisked into a basin filled with six quarts of hot water, plates were washed one at a time. Soaps were evaluated on the number of plates washed and how long suds lasted.

Dish-detergent dynamo: Of the seven soaps tested, the GHRI experts found one standout: Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid ($3.09 for 25 ounces, planetinc.com). It zapped dried-on grease and food particles, and cleaned the most plates per use.

How We Tested All-Purpose Cleaners
Testers evenly spread a mixture of grease and dust on appliance enamel, a painted wall, and laminate surfaces and allowed it to dry. A measured amount of each cleaner was spritzed from six to eight inches away, and wiped a specific number of times. Winners had to meet or beat our soil-removal and grease-cutting requirements.

All-star and all-purpose: Of the ready-to-use products tested, Sun & Earth All Purpose ($3.79 for 22 ounces, sunandearth.com) cut through our greasy mess best, especially on countertops. Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner from Clorox ($3.32 for 32 ounces, clorox.com) was a very close second, at an even better price per use.

SuperstrengthSimple Green All-Purpose Cleaner ($5 for 32 ounces, simplegreen.com), which has scored high in several GHRI tests, can handle heavier jobs than most all-purpose cleaners (like scouring barbecue grills and concrete floors). The secret: It's concentrated, so you dilute as needed.